Delving into the past
The last story ended with Vandana and Sumeet separating from each other after 6 years of marriage. They were both unhappy with this outcome but couldn’t help it anyway. If you haven’t had the chance to read the first story, here it is https://rajatis1999.medium.com/and-the-rain-begins-817e02353212.
Why is it that Vandana and Sumeet, one of the most beautiful couples in the neighborhood ended up separating from each other? VASU(Vandana + Sumeet), as their friends used to call them was a magnificent example of a successful marriage. Their marriage was like a Christian parable for all those couples who can’t help but argue every time they get 10 seconds of free time. The connection was so deep, that they didn’t even refer to each other with the words you and me, always we.
Vandana saw a great dress while window shopping,
“We should buy that dress.”, Sumeet would intervene.
Sumeet’s boss would give him a piece of his mind someday in the office, “We will be alright.” Vandana would console him.
Forget about anniversary or birthdays, Sumeet remembered the days when they both met, the first time they went on a movie, the first time they kissed, the first time they did it, the first time he bought something for her, the first time she made him dinner.
Sumeet was an accountant at a mid-range wine supplying company. Yes! Wine supplying. The company was named WineForDine. A fairly appropriate name but not really suitable, since not a lot of people drink wine with their dinner, but with their wine buddies at 2 am at a downtown bar. He had a great job. Good boss, amazing work-life balance, 2 days a week off, separate holidays for taking the family for a vacation, and a pay increase every 6 months, which was not at all based on performance.
Vandana started taking tuition classes for school students. There are not a lot of things a housewife can do during the day. This was the era before smartphones anyway.
They used to live alone in their 2 BHK apartment. The other bedroom was obviously never used unless some guests arrived and decided to spend the weekends at their place. They never slept away from each other under one roof. Something about the young early 20s passion that couldn’t keep them apart. They had a wild almost fierce passion for each other’s sexuality. Not one weekend was spent without them making love until the morning, then falling asleep at 4 am when the sun hits the curtains.
This obviously became cold as time went by.
One Friday evening when Sumeet was at the office, Vandana received a call from an unknown number.
The voice on the other end was that of a woman. She spoke in such a soft, so delicate, and in the most sexiest voice that was ever spoken by anyone ever alive.
“Hi. I am Sumeet’s friend. Will you please tell him that I will be out this weekend and he can visit me again next weekend. Thank you!”
There was a bam on the other end of the phone. The lady hung up even before Vandana responded with anything. Although she couldn’t ask who she was, still Vandana’s throat went completely dry, her breath became so impatient that she had to put a hand on her heart to calm down the heartbeat, there was a throbbing in her head which made her nauseous as if she had drunk a complete bottle of his husband’s WineforDine wine.
Yes! Sumeet was cheating on her. There was no need for explanation, her mind assembled the scattered pieces of the puzzle within a fraction of a second, the answer was she was being cheated on by her lovely husband. She sat down on the side sofa slowly as her legs couldn’t bear her weight, shaking and trembling with a strange fear. She called back at the number again hoping to find out the truth, only to find out that the number was now switched off.
“Witch! Witch. F*ing witch” She murmured to herself cursing the woman on the phone.
“Who was that s* who called for my husband. Who was that? I am gonna call Sumeet now and ask him. He would never cheat on me. He would never do that. I believe in him.” Vandana thought to herself as each inch of her body filled with vicious anger.
Why would Sumeet cheat on her? He loved her so much that they just couldn’t get enough of each other even after 3 years of marriage. He never forgot her birthday, anniversary, and what not! There was no single sign of him cheating on her, he never came late from the office and spent most of the weekend at home, except for going for casual runs in the nearby gardens or hanging out with college buddies.
Vandana dialed his numbers as her fingers trembled and typed the wrong number 3 times, before finally getting it right. She moved the phone mic closed to her lips as they dried out due to killing anxiety in her head.
The ringtone rang just outside the door of her house. There was a sudden knock at the door. Vandana stood up and ran towards the door with meekly eyes, like a scared little animal.
The door opened. Sumeet was home. A calm almost normal look on his face. Vandana held back her tears as she looked at him. There was a long fight to follow, filled with arguments, and explanations.
Why would Sumeet cheat on her wife who he adored so much?
The story will be continued in the next article!!
Rajat Upadhyay
You may say I am a dreamer. But I am not the only one….
